Chris Waller Irish stayer Soul Of Spain firmed into $8 second favourite for the Group 1 The Metropolitan at Randwick on October 4 following his rails hugging win in Friday’s $300,000 Group 3 Sharp Office Newcastle Gold Cup. The 5-year-old provided trainer Chris Waller with his seventh Newcastle Gold Cup win following success with Etna Rosso (2024), Durston (2023), Great House (2021), Carzoff (2018), Sacred Master (2016) and Beyond Thankful (2015).
Soul Of Spain with Zac Lloyd in the saddle landed behind the leader Indifference from the outset and when the front runner shifted ground on the home turn Lloyd drove him through to challenge stablemate Travolta and Ciaron Mahers well fancied Royal Supremacy. Soul Of Spain the heavily backed $2.45 favourite outstayed Royal Supremacy to win by .61 of a length with Travolta a close third.
Soul Of Spain had eight starts in Ireland for one victory before joining Wallers stable. Since joining Waller’s stable he has ben based and raced in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales. The gelding has won his past four starts at Warwick Farm, Ipswich, Doomben and Newcastle. He currently has 50 kilograms in the Metropolitan but is now eligible for a penalty.
The ultra consistent Warwick Farm trained Headley Grange qualified for the $3million The Big Dance at Randwick on November 4 when he smashed the 1500 metre track record in winning the $250,000 Group 3 Localsearch Cameron Handicap. Jockey Adam Hyeronimus produced a gem of a ride on the $6 chance securing a lovely trail in fourth place from the 1000 metre point despite the horse’s tricky barrier. Headley Grange sprinted clear halfway down the straight to win by just over a length. The win was the 5-year-olds tenth from twenty-one starts.
Trainer Joe Pride has a soft spot for the Newcastle track where he trained the 2023 The Hunter winner Coal Crusher and he was full of praise for the Cameron Handicap winner. “He is a really honest horse with an amazing win record. Jockey Jay Ford is a good judge, and he said to me early on that this bloke would win a couple if Saturday races. He doesn’t often get it wrong, but this horse has turned out to be a lot better than that. My fear today was the firm track because he failed on one at Grafton. He quickly out that to bed”. Pride said,
Headley Grange is exempt from the ballot for the Group 1 Epsom next month and Pride indicated that the horse may run there on the way to the Big Dance.
Talented 5-year-old mare Oh Diamond Lil stepped up to Group company to core a gutsy all the way win in the 1400 metre $250,000 Group 3 New Zealand Bloodstock Tibbie Stakes. The heavily backed $3.10 favourite was rated perfectly up front by Rachel King and there were plenty of challenges in the last 100 metres. Trainer David Pfeiffer said there were a few options for Oh Diamond Lil now “There is a Group 3 Angst Stakes and the $1Million Five Diamond Prelude. It was a great effort, she built her speed up, found another gear and kept going. It was a lovely ride by Rachel” Pfeiffer said.
Zac Lloyd and Tim Clark took the riding hours with two winners each and Michael Freedman also trained a double. It was a great day for the NJC with all function rooms fully booked and a hefty crowd enjoying high quality racing on a perfect track.